Second Sands
by idkaname
Summary: Nara Bay, a Med-jai warrior, teams up with her cousin, Alex O'Connell,and his fiancee, Lin,and a few Americans to defeat Imhotep; who was reawoken to kill those who detroyed him before. On the way they meet another legend,one that's inlove. After Mummy 3
1. Chapter 1

**Greetings, this is both halves of idkaname; authors of "Second Sands." We would like to begin our disclaimer by giving the greatest thanks to poorpiratelass, who graciously allowed us to use part of her Mummy stories. From her we have brought the marvelous Madeline O'Connell and her relationship with Ardeth Bay. Also, the standard we are not associated with the Mummy series.**

**Hope you enjoy!**

As I stepped from my tent, I saw the cloud of dust on the horizon that my mother had noticed. I ducked back into the tent to retrieve the sheath with my two very unique weapons. Then I raced through to village to find my father, who was assembling a group to investigate the disturbance.

"Nara, mount your horse; you will be joining us." My father ordered. He and I would be accompanied by four other warriors, but they would hang back while we acted as ambassadors.

We quickly mounted our horses; mine a sleek black beauty with a white star on her face. As we galloped through the sands, I looked to my black cloaked father to ask the usual question: "Is it the creature?" I asked that every time the sands began to uproar.

And my father gave his usual answer: "I hope it is not, Nara; but I do not know." I nodded and returned my attention to the dust cloud.

After another five minutes of riding, shapes began to appear in the dust. Three horses were charging as fast as they could travel. And from what my mother and father had told me, the creature did not need horses. "Father, do you see those shapes in the cloud?" He nodded and shouted back for our companions to slow down and fall back while we continued our course to intercept the newcomers who were getting dangerously close to Hamunaptra.

After a few more minutes of riding, the shapes became completely clear. Three Egyptian men were trying to flag us down, so it was unlikely that they were hostile. We slowed to a stop, allowing the visitors to close the distance. When they too stopped, we recognized them immediately as the scribes who worked at the Cairo Museum.

"Chieftain Bay!" the man in the front gasped. "Chieftain Bay, we must speak to you at once!" I walked my horse back a few paces so my father would be the obvious leader of the discussion.

"Dajun, what is wrong?" my father asked the panicky scribe.

"The books! The books were stolen!" My father and I gasped. He had told me what would happen if one of the books fell into the wrong hands, much less both.

My father turned to me in his saddle; his face the picture of duty. "Nara, take two of the others and ride to Hamunaptra. Look for anything out of the ordinary." I nodded and motioned for the two nearest warriors to follow me. After a few minutes of riding, it became obvious that with my extra training and smaller size, I was easily the best rider out of the three Med-jai warriors racing toward the cursed city of 

Hamunaptra. We circled the city twice, fingering our weapons all the while. After finding nothing, we raced back to the village. We stabled our horses and I went in search of my father for news.

I found him speaking with my mother outside of their tent. "Please, Ardeth, she is just a young girl!" my mother pleaded.

"No, she is not, Madeline. She has been a warrior for years, even at her age now. Sooner or later she must learn to stand alone. How else will she lead this tribe?" my father questioned.

"Then at least send another warrior with her." My mother had given up on whatever her original goal had been.

"We cannot. Madeline, I wish to protect our daughter as well, but she is not a child anymore. Even by your standards, she is not. We cannot spare warriors from protecting the city and the village. And Nara has been to Cairo on her own before." My father explained and soother my mother, who wasn't very fond of me following in my parents' adventurous footsteps.

I thought now would be a good time to make my presence known. "We searched the city, Father; nothing was amiss." I stepped toward my parents.

My father turned to me with a sad look in his deep brown eyes. They were the same eyes that were set in my tanned face. "Nara, the books have been stolen by the creature. He will be using them to resurrect himself and go after those who destroyed him twelve years ago. We need you to go to Cairo and retrieve your uncle, Jonathan."

I was about to ask why he or my mother could not go, since Jonathan was their brother-in-law; but then I realized that they had been two of the ones to defeat the creature both times he had risen. "Yes, Father. But what will happen to Uncle Rick and Aunt Evie? The creature has crossed to England before, what makes us think he will not do it again?"

"Rick, Evie, Alex, and Lin will be coming here. Alex and Lin will help you in getting the books back. And for once, the O'Connell's have more mummy experience than the Med-jai." My mother joked. "You know we have tried to keep you out of the whole mummies and curses business, but…"

"But Allah seems to have had other plans for me." I finished. "I will leave at once for Cairo." I took another step forward and bowed my head to my father. "Good bye, Father." As I straightened, he pulled me into an unexpected embrace.

"Be safe, my child." He whispered in my ear as he released me.

I nodded and moved toward my mother. "Goodbye…" I didn't even finish before she sucked me into another hug.

At that I went back to my tent and began to pack my supplies, and weapons for that matter, before heading to Alexandria. The Nile boats would take me from there to Cairo. My father may have been right when he told my mother that I had gone to Cairo on my own before; but this was the first time 

when the outcome of my journey had the fate of my family and world on its shoulders. But it sounded simple enough.

**This is idkaname again. **

**So, what do you think? We're sorry it's so short, but it was just the opening. If you're confused, all will be explained during the next chapter. **

**Questions, comments, concerns… shoot us a comment**

**Sincerely,**

**C M + L W idkaname**


	2. Chapter 2

Sitting on the deck of the boat that was cruising down the Nile toward Cairo gave me time to think. All sides of my family were being threatened by this old evil. I thought that the business of curses and mummies would normally only pertain to my closest family, the Med-jai. But with my cousin, Alex, being kidnapped twelve years ago; my thoughts were changed. And they were yet again when Alex went off and found a mummy bent on revenge in China. My parents kept me out of that one, even though I had wanted to help. I do not know why they try so hard to keep from dangerous adventures when they had met during the mission to destroy the creature the first time. Then they were reunited when my mother came into possession on a cursed necklace that then became attached to her, forcing her into its curse. After all that, they were wary with even letting me head the search parties that rode to Hamunaptra.

But they weren't as nervous about letting me travel to cities on my own. Ever since I was fifteen, my parents had let me go to Cairo to deliver things to the scribes at the museum and to visit my uncle Jonathan. He owned the Drunken Scarab bar. He always had a way to make me laugh, which was hard to do. When you've been trained since you could stand to be a warrior and the next leader of the Med-jai, you don't wind up with much of a sense of humor. After three years of these journeys, I had become quite familiar with Cairo. Enough so that this mission would be easy: go to the Drunken Scarab, get Jonathan, tell him the creature had arisen, get him packed, then drag him on the next boat to Alexandria.

Unfortunately, I wasn't making this leg of the journey alone; the scribes were returning to Cairo with me. They were below decks in their quarters; terrified to come up on deck. I couldn't blame them. When O'Connell, mummies, and boats were ever put together, it never ended well for the boat.

A crisp breeze blew my long brown hair into my tanned face. When I pushed it behind my ears, a young American man was standing next to me. "Hello, there, little lady." He smiled as his bright blue eyes lit up. "Since you appear to be a foreigner, like me, I was wondering if you wished to get a drink with me."

"Not that I do not appreciate your offer, Mr…"

"Michal Henderson. But you can call me Mich."

"Alright. It is not that I don't appreciate your courtesy, Mr. Henderson, but I have to decline. And I am no foreigner here."The man may have been good looking, but he was annoying. My mother was overjoyed when I told her that I didn't turn into an idiot in the presence of good looking men like she had before she met my father. He can still catch her off guard sometimes though.

"What, are you waiting for your companions or something Ms…"

"Nara Bay."

"Well, Ms. Nara; I think your companions could stand to lose you for awhile while we go get a drink. And you sure seem like at least a partial foreigner. You must have moved here when you were a girl from, I'd say, America." He began to extend his arm to me when I shook my head in denial.

"I am quite sure that my companions will not leave their quarters until this boat hits port or it hits bottom. But I cannot join you either way. And I did not move here, I was born in Egypt and have lived here all my life." I was really starting to get annoyed with this Michal Trent. I had three, no four, good reasons not to get a drink with him.

"Then, come on already. And there is no way you're Egyptian; you're too pale and you speak too much like an American. But you do dress like a weird Egyptian girl, except you're wearing pants. Girls 'round here don't wear pants." Now I was really ticked off.

"I have four good reasons not to get a drink with you, Mr. Henderson. One: it is against my culture to drink. Two: I personally would not be allowed to drink even if I was allowed to by my culture. Three: bad things happen to my family, especially my mother, when they go and get a drink. You could ask my uncle Jonathan for enough examples of that to fill the walls of Hamunaptra. And four: if any of those bad things were to happen to me, then I would hate to find out what my father would do to you. And I wear pants because I have a job to get done and traditional clothing would be cumbersome. And I have worm pants since I learned to ride a horse, which is when I learned to walk."

Thinking the conversation over, I was about to return to my thoughts when Mr. Henderson began to laugh. "You just proved yourself wrong with being from Egypt twice. You're a horrible liar, Mr. Nara. Now, come on, let's get a drink." He grabbed my hand, which had been resting on the table in front of me. I pulled my hand back and closed it into a fist, but resisted the urge to punch him in the jaw.

"Now how, might I ask, did I prove myself wrong?" I let my temper ease off some steam by letting anger edge into my voice.

"You said your uncle's name is Jonathan, that's not an Egyptian name. And you said you ride, girls here don't ride." He smiled smugly.

"No, my uncle is not Egyptian, he is English. And everyone in my culture rides. I especially must because of who I will have to be when the time comes." I let more of my anger seem into my words.

"But you don't look or sound English. And what crazy culture do you come from?" Mr. Henderson was becoming exasperated. I smiled slightly.

"I am not English. If we must come to technicalities, I am half Arab and half American. And I am of a culture you do not have the right to know about." The Med-jai are not allow to tell others of us and our purposes.

Again, Mr. Henderson laughed. "This 'culture' of yours sounds to me like the hooker rings in Cairo. I'm guessing that your mom's one who took it too far with an American."

Now I couldn't stop the punch that sailed across his jaw. "How dare you disgrace my parents and my family!" I spat at his fallen form.

Two more Americans came from the sides and pinned my arms together behind my back. One of them spoke to the other behind me. "My uncle told me about a lady who looks and acts a lot like this little critter here. I think I should run the name by her to see if they know each other."

The other one behind me spoke next. "Yeah, I know who you're talkin' 'bout." He let go of my left arm and stepped in front of me. "Hey, little lady; do you happen to know a Ms. Madeline O'Connell?"

I stiffened slightly, but oppressed it. "Why does it matter to you?" I shot at him, leveling my angry gaze with his. With talk of the creature going after my family and now this man pulling my mother's name out of nowhere, I was getting worried.

"Well, you look, act, sound, and punch a whole lot like her." The man laughed.

"And your point is?" I really wanted to leave this conversation. I could easily take down all three men. I was a good hand to hand fighter, since both my parents had taught me. And my weapons case was lying on the table a foot in front of me. But a skirmish would not be best.

"Well, it seems unlikely that two ladies so similar don't know each other." The man still holding my arm mused.

"How do you men know Madeline O'Connell?" I shot at them, relying on my ability to read people's faces to tell if they were lying or not.

The men glanced between each other, and I let loose a small smirk. "Alright; she was part of group that traveled alongside the one our uncles were on. They were in search of Hamunaptra when a mummy came back to life and killed them. Ms. O'Connell had tried to help save them."

"Oh." I quickly made a decision that I could tell them what I was allowed to tell. "Madeline O'Connell is my mother." I finally gave.

"Oh, I'm very sorry about that theory I had. I meant do disrespect, but I didn't know." Mr.Henderson tried to back pedal as fast as he could.

I shook my head and collected my sheath to go below deck to my quarters. I had had enough excitement for one night. But he the one who had asked me about my mother spoke up. "We truly are sorry. I'm Trevor Burns. I hope you can accept our apology Ms…" he extended his hand to me.

"Nara Bay" finished, our hands meeting.

"Bay, where have I heard that name before?" The third man asked out loud.

"Well, if you have heard of my mother, then it would be reasonable that you have heard of my father as well. My father, Ardeth Bay, was also trying to protect the American dig team."

"Yeah, I remember that, but I heard it somewhere in Alexandria yesterday. It wasn't Adreth Bay; it was something like Yisir." Mr. Henderson answered for his friend.

I gasped. "Yisir Bay is my uncle. We all thought he was dead. He went off on patrol five years ago and never came back." I sat down heavily in my chair.

"I think now would be a good time for that drink." Mr. Henderson piped up.

"No, Mr. Henderson. Yet again, I must decline. If for no other reason, I'm not old enough to drink." I laughed at my obviously non-apparent youth; for I was only eighteen. "Actually, I will join you; I can always just get water.

So the four of us headed to the on-deck bar; and as I said, I just got water. We stayed there for quite a few hours. Even after many drinks, I was truly amazed that none of the Americans became unreasonably drunk. They were possibly a little tipsy, but nothing more. As Mr. Henderson walked me to my quarters, we formed plans for me to dine with them the next morning; assuming the boat was still afloat. I didn't tell them about the mummy part of the equation, but they all knew what happened when you mixed O'Connell's and boats.

All in all, today hadn't been so bad; the scribes didn't annoy me with their warnings and questions, I had some time to think, and I made some unlikely friends.

**This is both halves of idkaname again.**

**We give the biggest thank you yet again to poorpiratelass for allowing us to use part of her plot. Again, Madeline O'Connell is her creation, as was the cursed necklace (the plot of "Self Esteem," which we're still on the edge of our seats about).**

**Why is Yisir back? Will Nara tell the Americans about the mummy issue?**

**Find out in a few days. We will try and update as soon as possible, but we're typing this as we go along.**

**Sincerely,**

**C M + L W idkaname**


	3. Chapter 3

The second day on the boat was uneventful. The scribes yet again did not leave their quarters. I spent most of the day with the Americans, who had sobered up completely from the night before. We hit the on-deck bar again; and I just got water, again. And around seven o' clock that evening, the boat pulled into the Cairo port.

The Americans; Mich Henderson, Trevor Burns, and Louis Daniels had already agreed to accompany me to the Drunken Scarab. When we all loaded into the cab, Daniels began to strike up random conversation with me. "So, Ms. Nara, what is a desert girl like you doing coming to a city like this?"

"It is a long story, Mr. Daniels; a long story that I am not at full liberty to tell you." I looked out the window away from him.

Henderson took up the futile argument for his friend. "Of what I remember from the uncle's diary about your mother and father, I think I can guess the business that brings you here and why you can't tell us. Can you talk about it if we guess correctly?" Burns' and Daniels' faces lit up at the thought of a challenge that would get them out of the dark of whatever I wasn't telling them.

"I do not know; no one has ever tried to guess before. But since you probably do know, you may begin to guess." I let a rare smile cross my lips.

"Did you just smile?" Burns asked excitedly. Now I understood why my father never smiled when he came to the city on missions.

"Well, as for guessing, I think it's got something to do with what your father did. Hey, Lou, what was it that my uncle called her dad?" Henderson turned around form the front seat to look back at Daniels, who was sitting next to me in the back seat.

"Med-jai; or something Arabic like that." Daniels mused after he had finished slapping Burns in the back of the head for laughing at the fact I had actually smiled.

"Then you are right. I am here on Med-jai business. Ever since I could walk, I was trained to be a Med-jai warrior; which I became two years ago, even though most do not get it until they are my age now. And when the time comes, I will take my father's place as the leader of my village." Burns suddenly looked scared. Apparently the first Henderson had written about the Med-jai.

"But wouldn't your brother be next in line instead of you?"Burns asked; his fear turning to confusion.

"I do not have a brother." I shrugged and stepped out of the car, for we had reached the Drunken Scarab.

I hurried inside and past the crowds. I turned to see the others get side tracked by the women meandering around the room and dance floor. I went straight to the bar and looked for Jonathan; in other words, I was looking for an English man hitting on a leggy blond. It didn't take me long to find him. And as predicted, he was drunkenly conversing with a leggy and coy blond who couldn't be that much older than me. "Jonathan!" I called when I had gotten about three feet away from the couple. 

"Jonathan, I must speak with you." I said as I came to stand beside him. The girl glared at me, but I didn't really take notice.

"Ah, Nara, old girl! It's good to see you. It's been what, a month?" he slurred.

I shook my head in disgust. "I do _not_ wish to know how many drink you have had." Jonathan shrugged and threw down another shot. When he went to refill it, I grabbed him arm. "Jonathan, I have a grave topic I must speak to about; and I do not have much time."

"And what would that be, old girl?" Jonathan quipped, not having the strength to try and fight my grasp.

I pulled him toward me by the collar of his jacket. "The creature has arisen." I hissed in his ear before releasing him.

The words "creature" and "arisen" in the same sentence were enough to sober up Jonathan to a point you wouldn't have guessed he had had more than two shots of his bourbon. "Again?!" he moaned.

I nodded and dragged him from the bar by the collar of his jacket. "Get packed; my father has sent me to retrieve you and bring you back to the village." He nodded weakly and went up the backstairs to his apartment above the bar. As I went to say a quick farewell to my American friends, I saw a familiar face in the crowd of people. "Yisir?!" I cried, running toward him through the crowd.

When I reached him, he smiled menacingly and pushed me to an empty corner of the room. He drew his sword and rushed me. My shock lowered my reaction time severely, but I was still able to evade the weapon. I opened the flap at the bottom of my weapons case and allowed the twin double-ended weapons to slide into my hand. I quickly tossed one to my right hand and dropped into a stance. I blocked his strike to my head with the crossing of my blades and kicked him in the stomach. Then I heard shouting from behind me as three moved to flank me with excitement on their faces and pistols in their hands. "Thought you could use some help, Ms. Nara." Henderson beamed.

I nodded my head in thanks before returning to the fight. I shouted to Daniels, who wasn't being very helpful with the fighting for him to go find Jonathan. He nodded and disappeared into the sea of people. Henderson was knocked into a table and didn't get up; he was out cold from a kick to the head from my uncle. I had no idea why he was fighting us, and it was getting annoying. Burns got a shot off at him and hit him in the leg. I took the chance to kick him hard across the face. As he fell to the ground, he yelled at me in Arabic, 'Give up now, for my master will find your precious family. Surrender will make your deaths easier.'

'Never.' I returned in our native tongue. As he hit the ground, Yisir disappeared in a cloud of dust that escaped out of a nearby window. "By Allah, how could he!" I screeched as I dropped to my knees. Just then, Daniels returned with Jonathan in tow. Burns helped Henderson, who was slowly coming around, to his feet.

"Whatever is going on here, I think we deserve in on it." Burns spoke for his group of friends.

"You are right." I hung my head and picked up my weapons from the ground. I stood and returned them to the case on my back before I turned to the others. "Come. Jonathan, do you still have your car?"

"Of course I do. Where are we going, Nara?" Jonathan never questioned my judgment; he held almost as much respect for me as he had for my father.

"The museum; I will explain on the way there." They all nodded and we made our way out of the bar. Most of the occupants had been unaware of the skirmish.

Jonathan and I sat in the front while the Americans sat in the back; Henderson, still being a little cloudy, sat in the middle of his friends. I explained to all of them about the books being stolen and the creature coming back after those who had destroyed him twelve years ago. That included Jonathan, which is why I had been sent here to bring him back to the village. I was sent since my mother and my father were also in danger. By time I had finished, we pulled up in front of the museum. We all hopped out of the car and walked to the door.

"Cheiftess Bay." stuttered one of the scribes who had warned us as he opened the door.

"Please, do not call me that until the time comes; people might confuse me for my mother." My group strode past him behind me as we mounted the stairs. We climbed the three flights of stairs to the storage room above the exhibit sections of the museum. "The books were taken from here." I showed them the empty compartment beneath the hieroglyphic obelisk that held the original locations for the book of Amun-Ra and the book of the dead. I turned to the Americans, "Do you intend on joining me to defeat the creature?"

After a quick glance amongst them, Henderson stepped forward toward me. "Michal Henderson, Trevor Burns, and Louis Daniels are at your service." I met his hand in a firm shake.

I nodded and we returned to the car, this time our destination was the port. I had already found passage for Jonathan and I before I left the boat earlier that day, and it wouldn't be hard to find rooms for the others. Jonathan was worried, of all things, about the O'Connell boat curse. I reminded him that last time he was on a boat with a Med-jai, the boat didn't sink. But he reminded me that the first time he was on a boat with a Med-jai, the Med-jai sunk the boat. The Americans laughed their heads while I grimaced.

We survived the two-day boat trip without any issues. Well, except for Jonathan passing out on deck from far too many shots. And we disembarked form the ship by noon in Alexandria. My father had arranged for my horse and another to be waiting at one of the hotel's stables. But since we had three extra members to our group, we had to find camels for them. I took over the negotiations so that Jonathan would not aggravate any of the locals. We set out on our way through the desert about an hour later. The Americans were asking Jonathan about what it was like to fight mummies and such. He told them stories of the two, three since he made the point that one had come back, mummies he had helped vanquish. He made sure to tell them of Seti's fortune back at Hamunaptra. Through the night, I 

guided them through the dessert to the village, constantly glancing around myself for any sign of the creature.

Toward the end of the second day of travel, we reached the many tents that made up my village. I dismounted quickly and motioned for the others to follow suit. I led the animals to the stable and then the others to the meeting tent. When we approached, we saw Rick, Evie, Alex and a Chinese young woman who I assumed was Lin sitting around the fire pit talking to my parents.

My father looked up at the sound of our approach. His eyes glanced over the Americans and threw a questioning glance at me. I nodded and began the introductions. "Father, I have brought Jonathan back with me; along with some who have agreed to help in the retrieval of the books. This is Michal Henderson, Trevor Burns, and Louis Daniels. Their uncles were part of the American dig team that the creature killed the first time he arose." I had pointed them out individually and the ducked their heads in respect.

My father stood and approached the young men. "I speak for my whole village, myself, and my family when I say thank you for offering your help. We need as much of it as we can come upon." He pointed towards seats around the fire pit for them and Jonathan as he returned to sit by my mother as I followed him. "All of you know why you have been gathered here; for your protection, or for the need of your assistance. The creature has reawakened and seeks revenge on those who destroyed him twelve years ago and before. Those of us here who belonged to those groups will stay in the safety of the village; while the others who are here will search for and destroy the menace."

The others nodded as I stood to address my father and others with bad news. "While in Cairo retrieving Jonathan, I was attacked by Yisir; he now works alongside the creature."I hung my head in shame that my family had turned on itself.

My father's head dropped to his hands in his lap as my mother tried to comfort him. After a moment, he looked up and turned to lock eyes with me. "Nara, if he hinders your mission, deal with him as you would any other minions of the creature." He stood and walked swiftly to his tent. My mother reached over to give my shoulder a reassuring squeeze before she went to the tent as well.

My father had just given me permission to kill my uncle, his younger brother.

**This is both halves of idkaname here.**

**Sorry this chapter took a little longer than expected, but we've been focusing on other ones for a bit.**

**So, how do you all think the mission after the creature will go? Will the Americans meet the same fate as their uncles?**

**Find out part of the answers on Monday (we guarantee to have an update by then).**

**Sincerely,**

**C M + L W idkaname**


	4. Chapter 4

I sat on a dune that over looked the Med-jai's sandy domain. In the distance, you could see the ruins of the city of Hamunaptra. I heard someone approaching and whirled around to see Alex slipping and sliding through the sand. A small smirk worked its way onto my face as he fell into the sand. But I removed it with a quick twitch as he began to stand up. I, like my father, thought that what we experienced every day had to be dealt with without bias. And all of those things make it hard to keep a sense of humor, even though both he and I like to laugh. That was one of the reasons my father fell in love with my mother, she made him laugh. Even if the world would soon end or she was being guided to her death to cause a said end of the world. Jonathan had a way of making me relax and laugh; that was the main reason I can _stand_, much less _enjoy_, spending time with my uncle.

"Hi there, Nara!" Alex chimed as he sat down rather ungracefully. "I haven't seen you since your sixteenth birthday; and you've certainly grown up since then." He patted my shoulder. "Now you're a woman, not a girl. But I see that you haven't been thrown into an arranged marriage or anything yet!" he smirked.

I shot him a glare that effectively ended his teasing. "You know that we do not do that, Alex. If we Med-jai did force arranged marriages, then I would not be here." I pointed out my existence rather bluntly.

He nodded before he snatched my weapons case from the sand between us. I was about to protest when he held up a hand to stop me. "I'm just looking." He assured. "So you actually hammered out those plans you showed me?" I nodded as he pulled out my unique weapons. I had designed them myself after I took the oath of the warriors. They were twin double-ended that could deflect and inflict damage equally as easily. In each there were two foot-long blades with a wood and leather hilt in the middle. I may be most proficient with those, but could kill with most weapons. But my next favorites were scimitars and pistols. You could blame my parents for those.

"They're good pieces of work; just like you, Nara." He re-sheathed the blades and handed me the case.

"Thank you, Alex." He tripped again as he tried to stand. "Here, let me help you." I extended my hand to my fallen cousin. If you stood the two of us next to each other, you could see the markers that proved us to be O'Connell's. The straight chestnut hair, but mine was slightly wavy and a bit darker. Alex's eyes were the tell tale clear blue while I had my father's brown eyes. I was tan like my mother and uncle from living my whole life in the desert; Alex would be too, but he had lived a relatively sheltered childhood in England. We were both quite tall and strong in build, but I was slighter with rather defined curves beneath my robes. We also both had the standard O'Connell attitude: complete independence. My name might be Bay, but I was as much an O'Connell as I was a Med-jai.

We carefully picked our way pack to the firm ground of the village. On the way there, we found the Americans surfing down the dunes on their jackets. I shook my head in disbelief of the immaturity while Alex roared with laughter whenever they crashed. I was eventually able to round up all four young men back to the village with the simple mention of dinner.

During the meal, my father was still melancholy, and no one could blame him. None of us may have liked Yisir, especially not me since he used to try and beat my lessons into me, but he was still part of our family. And my father had written his death warrant.

Lin seemed to feel out of place; a Chinese woman amongst Americans, Arabs, and Englishmen. Alex sensed this and wrapped his arm around his fiancée's shoulders and gave her a gentle squeeze. "Just wait until we get into a fight." He soothed. "Then we'll feel out of place around you; you and Nara, if she's lucky."

I glowered at him and picked up a small stone, weighing it in my hand to make sure it wouldn't do much damage. Then I chucked it at Alex from across the fire pit, hitting him square in the chest. He tumbled off of the pillar bench and into the sand behind him. Everyone but Alex found it funny; most were laughing boisterously and even my father and I smirked.

After dinner, we began to talk tactics. The Americans wanted to track trails the creature would have left in the dessert. Until we pointed out that the creature wouldn't leave tracks in the sand, and even if he had, they would have been blown away by now. Alex didn't know what to do, since he was used to the mummies chasing after him. We eventually decided to go to Hamunaptra tomorrow to look for clues.

So we all bid each other good night and went to our respective tents: Evie and Lin joining me in mine, The Americans in Yisir's old tent, and Alex, Rick, and Jonathan in the guest tent. Just as I was about to drift off into a light sleep, I could have sworn I heard someone chanting in ancient Egyptian somewhere off in the distant desert.

**Sorry this update took so long. One of us (C M) was on vacation.**

**So… What will happen at Hamunaptra? Who, if there even was anyone, chanting in ancient Egyptian?**

**Answers to those questions and more coming in a few days. We will be slightly hindered by the beginning of school (yeah, we'll be the mighty 8****th**** graders!). But we'll turn out a new chapter as fast as possible.**

**As always, your input (reviews) are cherished and always replied.**

**Sincerely,**

**C M + L W idkaname**


	5. Chapter 5

**Quick AN: Ever wondered where this all started? Check out the history behind the madness of Nara's life in poorpiratelass's "Tongue Tied" and "Self Esteem."**

I awoke with a start the next morning after a terrifying nightmare. It consisted of a young man no older that Alex had emerging from behind a set of huge stone doors, drawing a scorpion-tipped bow, and shooting Henderson. At that point, I had shot bolt upright in my bedroll. I quickly pulled on my pants and outer-robes and grabbed my weapons so I could leave the tent. I slung the strap of the weapons case over my shoulder as I sprinted to the dune I had sat on the day before. Nothing had changed in the city, but sands were being picked up in the winds that hadn't quite reached the village yet. I heard a moan from somewhere to my left. I just about jumped from fright as I slid one of my weapons out and turned to the sound. I took a step toward it with my weapon beginning to rise before I snapped out of my confusion. The moan had been Henderson yawning as he approached me. "I am very sorry Mr. Henderson. My fears took the best of me."

Henderson looked down at me and tried not to smile. I couldn't figure out why. "It's quite alright, Ms. Nara." He carefully took the weapon from my hand to inspect it. "Nice little piece of work." He admitted a he handed it back to me. "But I prefer these little beauties." He tapped his two pistols hanging from his shoulder holster.

I fought the smirk that was pulling at the corner of my mouth when I took in the sight of the drowsy American before me. His once black boots were almost tan from the sand, his brown pants were severely wrinkled, his shirt was the same and only tucked in on the left side, and his holster wasn't buckled; just slung over his shoulders. His face was obviously weary; slight stubble was forming on his chin, with eyes were only a little more than half open, and his hair was in complete disarray. "Thank you." I said as I slid the blade back into the case. I then snatched one of the pistols from Henderson's holster. "Colt 45?" I asked after looking it over and handing it back.

He nodded as he put the firearm back in its place. "I wouldn't think you as one to know much about guns, Ms. Nara."

"My mother is quite the fan of artillery. As are both my uncles." I shrugged. "And I am not all that bad of a shot myself." I began to walk back towards the village with Henderson behind me.

"Ms. Nara," Henderson called from a few paces behind me. I turned my head to look back at him, but kept walking. "The boys and I were talking last night and we figured that since we're going to be working together and such, that we try and cut off those formalities we keep using."

I walked in silence before nodding. "Alright, Mich. And in case the three of you did not hear last night, my cousin is named Alex and his fiancée is Lin."

"Thanks, Nara. I know I didn't quite catch his name, but I heard him use the China girl's name." he glanced at my weapons case before looking back at me. "Is Lin really all that good at fighting?"

I shrugged again. "I have never seen her fight. But she helped Rick, Evie, Jonathan, and Alex defeat an evil mummy emperor last year in China. Or it could have been that they helped her, they never really told those of us who were stuck in Egypt the story."

"It sure sounds like you wanted to go." He said, almost like he was sympathizing with me. I didn't quite understand how he could relate, since he couldn't be any older than twenty, and his uncle had come to Egypt twenty-two years ago.

"I did." I sighed. "But my parents wanted to keep me out of danger. The most adventurous I have ever been is when I lead the search parties to Hamunaptra; or when I go to Cairo every now and then." I didn't mind the discussion, since Mich was easy to talk to; and I'd been fighting smiles around him for awhile.

"I'm sure you're wondering how I know about the mummy and such." His musings stopped me in my tracks.

I regained my focus and forced my voice into nonchalance as I fell into step next to Mich. "Of course I wonder how an American man, who is younger than the mission and whose only tie to it died, comes to know of such things."

Mich had smirked at my reaction, but the glare I had thrown at him returned his face to its normal expression. "Well, my uncle, the Henderson your family knew, kept a journal during his adventure in this dusty," he pointed at his once black boots, "and cursed country of yours. When the mummy took out the first Burns, he sent the diary to my father, his younger brother."

"Or you could have just picked up one of Evie's books and looked through the romance and slight plot inversions." I laughed softly under my breath.

"I think my little sister was reading those books." He looked so serious, but his eyes were laughing louder than Alex had been the night before. I couldn't stop the soft laugh that became audible to Mich. His head snapped down to look at me in surprise. "I thought for sure my uncle said your father never laughed, and you look and act like a spitting image of your father. So, why are you laughing?"

"My father laughs." I explained. "Just not in a situation as grave as the one in which your uncle met him. And I laugh too; when I come upon something that I find humorous." I could not understand why everyone thought that just because you were a Med-jai or a Bay that you didn't laugh.

Mich and I continued to the village to find Trevor, Louis, Alex, and Lin preparing to travel to Hamunaptra. I ducked into my tent to quickly pack my things. All of it, including a small bedroll, fit nicely into one bag that I carried to my horse. I ran my hand down the muzzle of my horse as I swung the saddle pad and saddle onto her back. I also took a bundle of rope from the stables and secured it to the saddle.

Just as I was about to saddle up, my father rested his hand on my shoulder. "You should bring Isis with you, Nara."

"Yes, Father." I walked swiftly behind my tent and pulled out a silver whistle from beneath my robes. It let off a long, low whistle before a few squawks came from the sky. I extended my right arm as the grey and brown hawk glided gracefully to me. She landed carefully on my arm, making sure to only put slight pressure in her talons so as not to cut my arm. "Come, Isis, we have a mission at last." I whispered to my feathered fried as I stroked her head.

I returned to the horses to find everyone who was staying gathered around. As I mounted my horse, my father stepped forward to address us all. "Be safe." The six of us nodded. "And may Allah be with you." He gave us the standard Med-jai good luck parting, which I returned. Louis tried to imitate it, but Alex just hit him in the head for it. At that, we were off.

Our horses were off at a moderate trot to reach the sunken city. After about fifteen minutes, we were dismounting our horses and walking toward the opening to the city that had once been a whole in the ceiling. "So this is where our uncles stayed?" Trevor asked as he looked around.

"Yes, but they camped on the other side of the city; the one closest to the river, not the village." I pointed around a few fallen pillars to the rough area where the American dig team had stayed.

We all fell silent as I began to tie the rope from my saddle to a pillar near the entrance. Soon we had all landed safely in the tomb and were looking around for any clues we could find. I was going down the left passageway with Mich, while Trevor and Louis went down the middle, and Alex and Lin went down the right. Mich and I heard a shout that sounded a lot like Trevor followed by gun fire.

The two of us sprinted back down the hallway to find the other Americans. "You're fast, Nara." He huffed as he ran alongside me.

"Thank you. And you are fast as well." I gasped back. My lungs were burning like fire, but I willed myself to keep going. Soon we reached the other two Americans, and they were once again fighting Yisir. "Not again." I sighed as I pulled out my weapons and rushed forward.

As I tried to attack Yisir, Alex and Lin reached the fight as well. Alex held what looked like an ancient scimitar in his hand. He joined me in the attack against the disloyal Med-jai. Soon he was sent stumbling back into the wall from a kick to the stomach. For some reason, he shouted in pain when he hit the wall. I turned to see what the matter was, so I didn't see Yisir swing at my neck with his sword. "Nara!" I heard someone shout before I was hit from the side and knocked to the ground just before the sword reached the point where my head had been.

I looked at my savior to find it to be Mich. "Thank you." I breathed. I was trying to catch my breath from the impact and having Mich's weight on top of me wasn't helping anything. I turned again to see what had happened to Alex. He was kneeling on the ground, clutching his left wrist.

The wall behind him startled me even more. The etching of a giant scorpion was glowing and parting down the middle. The wall was a door. And it had been opened by the scar on Alex's wrist from twelve years ago. That meant one thing: _not_ good.

"Hold off Yisir!" I shouted to my comrades as I scrambled towards the door. I picked up my weapons from where I dropped them in the sand from the impact. I stood in front of the door with my weapons readied. Three figures approaching the door became more visible the more it opened. One of them was carrying a bow. "Mich, go back down the hallway until I tell you to come back." I said as calmly as I could, remembering what had happened in my dream.

The figure with the bow hurried its pace towards the door and readied its bow. It let off one bolt, aimed at Yisir. But before it made contact, my uncle disappeared in a cloud of dust. I gripped my weapons tighter and began to stride toward the first figure. As soon as I had crossed the door, one of the figures called out to me. "Halt, Med-jai, in the name of the Scorpion King."

**Sorry this took so long to update, but we've had school work to complete.**

**We give the **_**BIGGEST**_** thank you our little hearts can muster to poorpiratelass for letting us use part of her plot that practically gave our plot bunnies steroids. And we also are indebted to her for the mentioning us and our story in her Author's Note for chapter 15 of "Self Esteem."**

**So: why was Mich smiling? Will Isis follow Horus's fate? Double take: isn't the Scorpion King evil, and a sworn enemy of the Med-jai?**

**Find out in our next installment coming in no more than a week.**

**As always, you opinions (reviews) are valued and always replied.**

**Sincerely,**

**C M + L W idkaname**


	6. Chapter 6

I gasped, but remained as calm as possible. 'I do not answer to the Scorpion King!' I shouted back in Arabic to the approaching figures

'Your people do.' the smaller and nearer shape called to me. He sounded no older than Trevor, who I had been told was nineteen.

'Used to.' I corrected as I continued to advance to the armed member of the approaching party who had something to do with the Scorpion King. Rick had told me how he had fought and defeated the Scorpion King when he had first defeated the creature. So I was a bit beyond confusion about how he could come out to play.

'What do you mean, used to?' called the third figure. It was a woman with a voice as flowing as the Nile. 'Your people are the Med-jai. It is the Med-jai's duty to protect the pharaoh. So why do you not listen to the Scorpion King?'

I began to question that myself, but I remembered what people like this King had done to my family. On a less personal note, what this King had done to our country. 'Not when the Scorpion made a deal with Anubis and forever cursed Egypt.' I reminded acidly.

'Then halt in the name of your countrymen.' The Scorpion called to me as he too walked forward.

I heard one of my companions, probably Alex, laughing back in the passage. 'I will halt if peace is all that is meant with this confrontation.' I pointedly eyed the shape nearest me.

'Very well.' The Scorpion answered. 'Amun,' he called to the figure nearest me

'Of course.' He agreed. He slung his bow around his shoulders in a sign of peace. I nodded in thanks towards him. 'But you are armed as well.' He pointed out.

I nodded to Amun and slid my weapons back into their case. 'Now, come in to the light so that my companions can assure that there will be peace between us. For now the odds are quite uneven in your favor.'

Silently and without any acknowledgement of my request, the three figures walked toward me in varying degrees of trust. Soon we were back in the main passage way. Sensing that the danger with the bow-wielding Amun was over, I remembered to call Mich back. "Mich, it is safe to return!"

I heard his muffled steps I the sand as he ran back to us. "Now why'd you send be back there to begin with?" he panted eyeing me in annoyance.

"A good reason." I mumbled under my breath. I turned to those with the Scorpion King 'Do you speak the modern tongues?'

"Yes." Amun answered in a voice more accented than that of even my father's.

"Now this is more like it!" Trevor chirped. "We Yanks couldn't understand a word of that Egyptian lingo that was going on back in there."

"Arabic, Trevor; it was Arabic." Alex warned him, having seen the dangerous look flash in my eyes.

"Nara, who are these people?" Lin asked, having helped Alex to his feet from the sand where he had collapsed.

"I know who the big bloke is." Louis whispered. "That's the Scorpion King." He stuttered. He glanced between Alex and me. "And I thought you guys had weird histories. Well, you still do, Nara. He is, after all, your job." He smirked while I scowled.

"_Your_ job?" the woman asked. "He needs to be more specific. Does he have any idea how many Med-jai tribes there are?"

"No, he means her; she has Hamunaptra duty." Alex joked, not understanding what the woman had meant with her question.

"You?! But you are only a girl!" The Scorpion King gasped.

I stood at my full height, which was quite tall for a woman my age, and leveled my glare with the King. "I am not just a _girl_. My name is Nara Bay. I am the daughter of the Chieftain of _all_ the Med-jai. I could ally almost as many as men behind me as you did, Scorpion King." I hissed as deadly as I could, which was quite a bit. From the corner of my eyes I could see Trevor and Louis shrink back a bit.

"Very well. Then take us to your father." The King replied with forced calmness. I was getting to him.

"I cannot. My companions and I have been sent to battle the creature to protect our families who defeated him before. We may not return to the village until we have done so. And bringing you to them could endanger their lives." I felt oddly like my aunt, Nasira, when she had snuck out of the village to aid my parents and then protested to stay when she was caught.

Amun nodded. "I will help. I know what creature you speak of. It was the same one that deceived our descendant." He took a few steps toward me and extended his hand to me the way my fellow Med-jai did when I came of age, as a symbol of respecting my power and orders. I grasped his wrist as he did mine. After a firm shake, we separated.

"I will join as well. You will need some of my assistance if the creature has in mind what I think he does." The woman added, standing in front of me as well.

Before she could offer her hand to me, she was interrupted by Trevor. "And who are you, exactly?"

"My name is Cassandra; I am Mathayus' sorceress and queen." I kept careful of my jaw so it could not pop open as I met her hand in another pledge of allegiance.

"Since my family has joined you, then it seems that I should as well." The Scorpion King announced, crossing to me. This time I extended my hand to him; admitting, that even with my earlier rants, I knew my place.

He met mine for a bit longer than the others had, so I followed what I thought was appropriate in this situation. 'Your Highness.' I resigned as I bowed over our met hands.

"No." he told me as he gently pushed me back up by my shoulder. "It is Mathayus. You were right earlier. After all that I did to this land, I do not deserve to be called a king. You do not have to follow me, or consider me an equal; my family and I will follow _your _orders."

"Alright." I allowed and released his hand. It was quite odd to have this much power entitled to me. "But what is all this talk of your family? I understand about Cassandra, but what of Amun? I thought him to be your guard or such." I glanced at the young man in question.

He was smirking widely and shaking his head. "I am not his guard, I am his son."

"Oh." I dropped my head, a little ashamed. I was known for being observant and I hadn't noticed that within the conversation.

Mich broke the tense silence and my self-depreciating mood. "We don't have to do that pledge-shake-thing, so we?" he asked hopefully.

"No, you do not." I almost laughed at his humorous assumptions, but I withheld my emotions because of those with us. "Come, there are no clues here, so we should move on." I turned and began to walk back to the main room of Hamunaptra. When my whole group had entered the main chamber, I motioned for the others to climb the rope first, not wanting to risk a double cross form the new comers.

But as Alex was beginning to climb the rope, an unearthly roar erupted from one of the other corridors that connected to the main room we were in. "Alex, stop climbing and get back on the ground." If he kept climbing and the rope was cut, he could be injured or worse in the fall.

Just as his feet landed on the ground, the source of the growl came into view. I highly disfigured Imhotep walked across the sands to stand twenty feet in front of us. Cassandra and I walked to the front of our party: the sorceress and the warrior.

'And I thought that I would have to return to take out my grievances against you, Scorpion King. You have made it much easier.' He mocked us in Old Arabic. He began to speak in a tongue that I did not understand. But apparently Mathayus, Cassandra, and Amun did; because they reacted immediately. Cassandra began speaking in a similar voice, Amun drew his bow, and Mathayus unsheathed his sword.

But whatever we could have done would have been too late. The ruins began to shake and my vision began to blur. Glancing around at the others, I saw that they too were becoming disorientated as well.

Before I fell unconscious, I heard Imhotep's voice; but is was not the rasping his it was before. 'Welcome to _my _world.' I heard him cackle before everything went black.

**This is both halves of idkaname speaking.**

**We're very sorry that this took so long, but we got bogged down by school and our black belt test and such.**

**So, now you know who everyone is, so you can go and vote I our poll, because we will hit a snag in a few more chapters.**

**Now what could Imhotep have meant by his last little remark? You will find out with our next installment.**

**As always, your reviews are highly cherished and always replied.**

**Sincerely,**

**C M + L W = idkaname**


	7. Chapter 7

When I awoke, I was in a small square room of stone with a barred door to the side which was guarded by a few men who looked oddly like Med-jai. A dungeon cell, that's what it was. Next to me, Lin and Alex lay unconscious. And across the room were the others, Mathayus and Amun were the only other ones conscious. "Are you two alright?" I asked them, since I was in charge of the group, their welfare was in my hands.

"Yes." Mathayus told me. "Cassandra is close to coming to."

I nodded and was about to assess the conditions of my friends when Amun called my name. "Nara," my head snapped up to look at him across the small room. "Since you all know who we are, could you please tell us who your companions are?"

"Of course." I stood so I could walk around the cell and point them out. Walking over to the Americans first, "This is Michal Henderson, but he usually goes by Mich, this is Trevor Burns, and this is Louis Daniels." I picked up his fallen glasses and tucked them into his vest. Then I walked over to my family. "This is my cousin, Alex O'Connell, and his fiancée Lin. And you already know my name. Since you have been awake longer than I have, do you by any chance know where we are."

Just then, Cassandra sat up slowly and leaned against Mathayus. Blinking her eyes into focus, she answered my question. "It is more of a question of when than were. We are in Hamunaptra, but this is Hamunaptra a millennia ago."

I sat heavily down in the sand and tried to wrap my head around this new information. "So the creature sent us back in time?"

"Yes." Mathayus told me.

"And I think I know why." Cassandra added. "He will try and change history by choosing a different mistress, thus saving himself from being killed and being able to overthrow the pharaoh. He plans on choosing you, Nara." My eyes widened to their limits before they sharpened in anger.

"No!" I shouted and shot to my feet. "I will kill him first!" then it downed on me that I did not have my weapons case, but that meant little to me. I could and would still kill him.

Then Mich, Lin, and Alex started to come around. "Where are we?" was the first thing Lin said.

"When." Cassandra corrected. "We are in Hamunaptra a millennia ago."

Mich looked over at me in shock and a bit of fear. "How are we going to get back?"

"First, we need to kill Imhotep so he cannot change history or take Nara as his mistress." Amun added in, standing up to pace the cell.

"What?!" Alex croaked. I could see the pure rage flash though Mich's eyes, but I don't think it was meant for anyone but himself.

I raised my hand to quiet him. "Let us wait until everyone is awake." We only had to wait about twenty more minutes until the others came to. Then Mathayus, Amun, and Cassandra told us everything that they knew was going on. I did not miss that when they spoke of the creature taking me to be his mistress, Mich and Amun shifted themselves towards me. I didn't know if they did it consciously, but they still did; and I didn't know why. I was perfectly capable of taking care of myself.

"We can't let that happen!" Alex piped up after they were done.

"That's why we need to find a way out of here." I said. "We need to find a way to escape." The others nodded in agreement to my rather simple but logical solution. The only problem was how to get out. "This is Hamunaptra, and I have been inside here many times before. If these are the cells that I think they are, then there is a back hallway that leads to a courtyard open to the desert. From there, it would be your lead, Mathayus."

He bowed his head slightly to me, acknowledging the passing of leadership. "We should make our escape at night, when it will be harder to see us."

"But first we need to get our weapons back." Lin added, eyes all of our empty sheaths and holsters.

"We do not have time to get our own weapons, for they will probably be in the armory. That room will have even guards and is in the opposite direction of our escape route. Do any of you not know how to wield a sword?" I asked, stealing a glance at the guards outside our cell.

The Americans raised their hands. "Do you think you could handle one?" Alex asked, having seen my glance at the guards and interpreting my plans.

"Probably." Mich shrugged.

"Maybe." Trevor added.

"No." Louis flat out stated.

"Then you will stay with Amun, Mathayus, Lin, or I at all times. Now, these people will be speaking ancient Egyptian. I am useless in that language, but what of the rest of you?" We needed to see how we could be divided if we had to mingle in towns or such after our escape and before we returned to kill the creature.

"I can speak it. And I know Mathayus and his family can." Alex piped up.

"We can't speak _modern Arabic_, so don't even look at us!" Trevor laughed. The Americans were at a severe disadvantage with this mission.

"I cannot speak it, either. I have enough trouble as it is with English." Lin added, smiling deprecatorily at herself.

"Alright. Then in the case of us becoming separated, we will split into groups of three. Alex, Lin, and Trevor will make up one group. Mathayus, Cassandra, and Louis will be another. And Amun and Mich will be with me." I made sure that the groups were evenly split. There was at least one sword fighter and at least one person who could speak ancient Egyptian in each of the groups.

"One last question." Mich added. He jerked his thumb over his shoulder, at the bar door and guards. "How are we going to get out of here?"

"That, my friend, you need only leave to me." I smiled slightly him, gaining a mix of reactions from my narrow-minded friends. Only Alex and the Americans did not look at me funny. To show what I meant about getting out, I reached inside my robes to an inside pocket and took out a small roll of canvas. Placing it on the sand beneath me, I untied the string and rolled it open; revealing the set of lock-picking tools my mother had gotten me.

Apparently, being captured and put in a locked room when you desperately needed to be somewhere else was a common occurrence for O'Connells and Bays.

**We're back! And we're very sorry that this took so long, but school and stuff just got in our way.**

**So, the group has been sent back in time and taken captives by Imhotep who plans on rewriting history. NOT GOOD.**

**Here's a little challenge: we wonder if any of you can foresee something going wrong with their escape plan. We have already planned for a little snag that we hinted at in this chapter, but can any of YOU find it???**

**As always, your reviews are cherished and always replied.**

**Sincerely,**

**C M + L W = idkaname.**


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